Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, July 29, 1914, Page 2

PAGE TWO @Z‘Z‘!’I’XMYM { U PLAYING A HUNCH' By PETER FLINT. (Copyright.) If you take a map of the state of xas and search the far western por- you will find a dot right on the between Pecos and Brewster Bounttes. That is the city of Hay- d. Not many persons know of mond and have acquaintance with greatness. It is not important as b commercial or an agricultural center, bat it s remembered, especially among | belegraphers, on account of its being scene of one of the strangest | games of poker that ever was played. A telegraph operator named Stevens : put Haymond on the map some 26 | s ago. Stevens had worked in | d Mexico on the construction of the | arril Central Mexicano, when former Governor Anthony of Kansas | was general superintendent of that property. He had been all through New i Mexico and had worked at Las Lunas, | Ban Marcial, Yeleta, and other places. He was a first-class operator, but his ! efficiency was impaired by his fondness for poker. At Ysleta, for instance, he almost brought on an Indian uprising one night by winning all the coin pos- Bessed by the peaceful Pueblos. He was bounced from one road and from one station to another; but good op- erators were hard to find in those days, and he was employed again and again Bespite his failing. One morning he awoke in El Paso with empty pockets. He was as good 8 poker player as he was telegraph operator, but faro bank always was his undoing. He struck the dispatcher of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio for a job, and was sent to Haymond. In those days Haymond consfsted of a box car on a blind sid- Ing and a large, hastily constructed section house. In the section house lived some 30 Chinamen whose overlord was an Irish foremen. Half a hundred miles away was the Rio Grande and to the north- west the Sierra Madres. The desert stretched between. There was one passenger train a day and an occa- slonal freight. The nearest station was 40 miles distant. Stevens and the section foreman bunked in the box car that did service as a station. It was very dull the first month. Stevens mourned for the galety of Las Lunas, Ysleta, Albu- querque, and El Paso, and waited for pay day. ; When the pay car arrived and Ste- vens recelved his $80 in gold the China- men found an interest in him. Ste- dropped out. The other bet me $10. I had a pair of queens and was about to throw down my cards and quit| when I heard a faint but unmistakable | message in Morse: dash, dot-dash-dash, dot dash, dot-dash-dash, dot dot “Two two. | “It flashed through my mind that | the heat had begun to affect me, but I was always ready to play hunches, so I bet my ten. The Chinaman dropped. I saw his hand, and all he held was a pair of deuces. Thinks I to myself, ‘The heat devils must have been on the job that time, sure. I'll listen for 'em again.’ “I held good hands the next round | or two and raked in some fair pots. But I could see that the Chinamen were laying for me. Apparently they had the aggregate capital of all their companions, and I could see that I was likely to be cleaned out in the end. But, as a man once said, ‘The next greatest pleasure to winning money at cards 18 to lose it and so I stuck. I wag down to my original $80 when I | drew three queens on the deal, but did not improve them on the draw. Still, they looked good. Again I had my Chinese friend as my sole opponent. It was his bet, and he pushed forward $50. I was fingering my gold pieces when I heard the muffled message in Morse again: dot-dash-dot, dot dot, dot-dot-dash, dot, dot dot-dot, dot-dot-dot, dot-dot, dot-dash-dot-dash “Four six. “‘That means to keep out,’ I sald to myself. The hunch was a good one. I lald down. It was my deal, and I looked at the cards. Four sixes. “T was about $160 to the good when & jack pot came along. I opened it with a pair of jacks and drew a third. [ bet them as if I had half a dozen, and the second chink dropped out, leaving my old Chinese friend. He raised me the size of my pile, and I was studylng what to do when I heard the muffied code again: dash, dot-dash-dash, dot dot, dot dot, dash-dot, dot. “Two one. “I shoved over the ten and called. Two aces! “Then I began to play the cards very close to my chest and to walt for the code message whenever a crisis arose. It always came and was always right. The Chinamen were excited. They went out and returned with more gold. “Along about three in the morning I bad about $15,000 dollars stacked up in front of me. The boss Chinaman seemed to have been delegated by the others to carry on the game, and he and I were the only players. It was a duel between the white and the yellow hope. We did not play real poker. We were too excited. I bluffed and the Chinaman bluffed; but I did it a bit better, and I kept on winning. The last bag of gold was on the table be- fore the Chinaman. I had forgotten vens found an interest in them also. %hey had been working for 18 months and recelved $40 a month each; and Btevens calculated that somewhere | they had more than $21,000 in gold hidden away. The boss of the China- : men invited Stevens to take a hand at , some of their gambling games. Ste- | vens did so, for he would bet on any- thing. In an hour or two they oleaned him out, and he retired moodily to his box car. The next day a dog jumped off the west-bound passenger train, evidently Hred of the long trip. He chased liz- ards and ran around generally among the bowlders and cactus, and finally, after the train had departed, came up to Btevens and barked for a drink of water. They were fast friends imme- Qiately. The dog, whom Stevens named Pete, seemed to be a mixture of many breeds, but fox terrier pre- dominated. He had a stubby tail about six inches long that he wagged bn every occasion. Having nothing else to do, Stevens took charge of Pete's education. There Dever was a more intelligent or willing pupil. Pete could do as many tricks 88 a dog in a circus before the next Pay day came around. On this occa- slon, a‘w, Stevens lost his month's salary at fan-tan. » Pete loved the telegraph sounder. When not otherwise employed he would lle down on the rough boards gu served as a table and listen to @ clicking of the instrument. Ste- vens declared to the Irish foreman that would teach Pete the Morse code; E& Pote never cotld handle the key. en, at the foreman's suggestion, evens taught him the names of the 82 cards in the deck so he could pick em out immediately. | Here {s the rest of the story in Ste- ven's own words: “One day Murphy, the section fore- man, and I started to play poker for fun. We used cactus needles for chiph I had given Murphy my word that I wouldn't go against any more of those COhinese games, and there wasn't any- thing else to do. I asked Murphy it the Chinamen knew anything about ker, and he told me that three or glr of them were among the best players he had ever known. “So I suggested that when the pay car came around again we have a little poker. Murphy agreed, but said he didn’t think we’d have any show at all. | Just to try them out we got the poker playing chinks into a game for cactus | needles. They were masters all right but I thought my game was better than theirs. “Well, pay day came at last, and| that night we went over to the section | bouse for a session. The two China- | men who sat in the game held better | bands that I did, but I played cautious- Iy, and Murphy was oleaned out first. I had one $10 gold pleos left. When we drew cards one of the Chinamen 1 about the Morse messages. “He dealt. I had a palr of kings. I bet about $2,000 or some such trifle before the draw. I took three cards and got three jacks. The Chinaman took three also, and bet half a dozen stacks of double eagles. I went back and raised him. He came back at me with two or three pounds of gold coin, and as I skinned my cards I heard the Morse again: dash, dot-dot-dot-dot, dot dot-dot, dot, dot, dot dot, dash-dot, dot “Three one. “The instant the sound caught my ear 1 shoved the size of his pile on the table—we were playing table stakes. The Chinaman met me, and it was a show-down. He had three | aces against my jack full. When the chinks saw this they gave a yell and wanted to massacre me, but Murphy and I drew our guns and stood them off. We got over to the box car safely, Pete acting as rear guard, growling savagely, and showing his teeth all the way. “We sat down and Pete fjumped up on the telegraph table. He sat on his haunches with an open-mouthed grin, and his stubby tail pounded against the boards. It was still outside, and my ears caught the muffled Morse again. It was Pete tapping with his tail: dash, dot-dot-dot-dot, dot, dot-dot dot-dot, dot-dot dot, dot-dash, dash-dot, dash, dash-dot-dot-dot, | dot, dot-dash, dash, dot-dot-dash, dot-dot-dot, “They can't beat us,” he sald. ) CANAL IS WELL GUARDED| AP | Unlikely to Be Attacked, but a Warm | Welcome Has Bean Prepared for Attackers. In addition to the 124nch and 18- fnch coast defense rifies, mounted on disappearing carriages, which will | constitute the main defense of the Panama canal agalnst attack from the of the newest type of ars are to be placed in ence they can discharge disclosing their own positic: new mortars, the most powerful ever bullt, have a range of 11 miles and can send a shell five high, to drop with terrific ve- deck of an enemy's 86 pits shells without These on the protection of the locks ugainst any foe that might at- tempt to wreck the gate machinery with bombs, or to plant mines in the ship channel, a detachment of the Tenth United States infantry has been detailed to special guard duty. The soldiers live in camps at the different k‘)clm two companies at Gatun, one company at Pedro Miguel and one at Miraflores, and maintain a constant | patrol.—Popular Mechanios. ‘ the better Value Lles in the Fact That It May vival of those cool-looking handbags {3 EVENING TELEGRAM, LAKELAND, FLA, JULY 29, 1914. POPULAR “RUST” RED FOFOFOOOEOHOUFRPOFOSOHOOE & =3 & @ COLOR MUCH IN FAVOR WITH 3 THE DEBUTANTE. & & =3 Chief Points Are That It Accords g With Any Natural Shade of Hair [ and Goes With Almost Any g Costume, b4 “Rust,” newest of reds, is the favor- 8 ite shade in hats for the debutante, as g it brings out the peachy tints of her & complexion and enhances the bright- & ness of her eyes. Moreover, “rust” ac- 3 cords with any natural shade of hair— g even with the Titian tone—and goes @ with almost any costume. Of course S the “bud,” who need not consider cost, | & orders her rust velvet toque in one of ;:; the releve brim shapes, which only | & an expert milliner can cover smoothly 6’ and make look “right” and which are & most chic when decorated solely with 2 a single feathery aigrette in matching | & shade. But unfortunately, plenty of ‘:{ pretty girls—some of the very sweet- & est of the sex to be introduced this ;5 season—have fo economize and these, | & avoiding the difficult toque, will make ‘:’ their rust velvet hats in the Deslys [ & shape having a crown of velvet, which & puffs widely ahove a bowl-shaped brim : which, to be really smart, should be 'C;‘ banded with rust-dyed fox, but which may have a pelt band of any other color, providing that the hair is long. An almost smooth fur does not make a becoming brim band. Equally easy for the “bud” to make for herself is the Tam-o’Shanter, wholly of rust vel- vet, having a flat round crown drawn into a straight band. These stop just short of being rakish and are wonder- fully swagger on a petite girl, who carries herself jauntily. Then there is the Niniche, a phase of the sundown shape, which is mere- ly a circulfggflat crown—smoothly cov- ered with velvet—mounted on a head- band or “halo.” The shovel or de- pressed effect is obtained by forcing the sides against the ears by means of ribbon streamers that cross the top of the crown and tie at the nape of the neck or narrow into a bridle that hooks under the chin. The debutante who must make her own rust red hat, may have something very smart indeed and, what is most essential, something very becoming, if she will remember not to attempt to copy any shape with a stiff brim or very sharply defined lines, and to avoid trimmings. If she uses a b.nd of fur on the brim, she should omit the aigrette or the feather fantasie; and if she has a strapped bow, other garnishing s superfluous, BEST BAG IS OF GREEN LINEN Be Worn With Gown of Almost Any Shade. 4 Always in summer we have a re- that go so well with summer frocks. Sometimes the bags are white, some- times of natural linen and occasional- ly of another color. The prettiest of | ¢ these other colors is green. A green linen bag worked in self-tones is suit- able for carrying with gowns of white, green or other colors. Try to get linen of a dull and not a vivid green and a shade that is neither very dark nor very light. An outline stitch of some kind or a solid satin stitch is best for the embroidered handbag. With white linen, eyelets can be used, H but if a green or other dark linen is i used, the contents show through the eyelets and form rather an objection- able contrast. French knots soil so easily on account of being so promi- nent and, besides, have a tendency to catch on things and pull out. Either a green silk cord or a mercerized cot- ton wash cord can be used for the drawing string or the handle, depend- ing, of course, upon the kind of hand- bag you make. BAG FOR AFTERNOON oo o oo o s B R & ® & $ * & Combining black and champagne | ¥ brocade molre with amethyst clasp. § Walsts and More Waists. Georgette crepe is one of the most popular materials for blouses this sea- | son, and justly so, for it gives the soft, | sheer appearance of chiffon, and yet | & tubs beautifully and wears splendidly. @ —From Vogue. ¢ 3 WHITE MUSLIN AGAIN | bogliel\l'le: ::;uitil all kinds of shapes PRETTY MATERIAL HAS COME Newest Gowns Have All Sorts of Gar nitures to Show Them Off—Major- Some of the prettiest of the new i e gowns are made of the material be- loved of poets and novelists, white muslin. and tunic scalloped round the hem, the bodice being embroidered in front and on the tops of the sleeves, Mo t of the white gowns have black silk or moire belts, almost all of them fasten. ing in front. ple little tie is also in black. neck finish collars are preferred to frills. flat, rising high on the back of the head and meeting on the chest. Some- times the bodice is set into an em- broidered yoke, which extends_down Sorirnfosdrofoedrid @b i BB NN oo FoeGogugy B g PR PP PR PP PPD g ear 2o egrcmriacin D EEER B0 G0 3 B BB T B Brcdr el B o PERERRERRESY PO TR TS o R = 0 O F IO BSOS OB SO SOTOMIBIED0 o Do$§$ Saved Look Good to You? They certainly look good to several farmers about Lakeland, as we have sold the most of the McCormick Mowers and Rakes advertised at “Special Prices. 5 only 2-horse 4% Foot Cut Mowers 1 only 1-horse 3! Foot Cut Mower 1 45832 5 ATE B (BTG D1 5TE BT GAS A BA BAEBICE ¥ 5 Hay Rakes. ; Come quick if you want to get a McCormick Machine at less than wholesale cost. MOWER REPAIRS MODEL HARDWARE CO. C. E. TODD, Manager We Want YOUR Business i (R BATE B3 e n i tcd OO TOTQE RO the center of the sleeves to the ek beads. Next in favor come black and silver and black and gold. Ons tunic with three rows of frings carried out in beads must be very heayy i wear, but it is quite short in front, dipping to a point at the back, Ty line of evening bodice continues 1o be rather high on the shoulders, ang sloped in front to a meeting point varying in length. Should this bg and in a varfety of lengths, whether on dresses or blouses, but the “child's” sleeve is fast disappearing. It was too loose to be pretty. The majority are long. Neaily all have cuffs, Some have frills of lace falling over the hands. The sleeve that reaches midway between elbow and wrist is preferred by some. Evening | very low a small bib, or vest, is car- sleeves grow shorter and shorter. | ried across the chest, not beaded, byt Some are represented by a band of | made of lace or gathered tulls, white, flowers crossing the shoulder and at-; black or a color, tached to front and back of the gown. BACK TO ITS OWN. Ity of the Sleeves Are Cut Long. There are slit-up petticoats to wear with tight skirts, and there are un- derskirts with steel run through them for wearing with peg-top skirts. A shaped flounce is added on to these, cut very narrow and curved away from the outer part of the legs. Night- gowns are cut lower than ever, and are very elaborately trimmed with lace and embroidery. Boudoir caps are still in fashion, but it is the mode to call them negligee, Beaded tunics are still much worn, and more popular than any other va- riety are the black net embroidered and_ fringed with white or crystal Frocks and Hats Match, Busy mothers are now making frocks and hats to match for their small daughters. These sets are very attractive in colored linens, scalloped and embroid- ered in white. The hats usually have the buttoned crown so that they may be laundered and the frocks are semi-tailored, scal- loped around the neck, sleeves and down the front. | They are worn with a belt of the material or of leather. One of these has the skirt A sailor’s knot or a sim- As a The latter, when worn, are Dixieland Lots FOR THIRTY DAYS BEGINNING JULY 10th WE WILL OFFER 170 DIXIELAND LOTS at 310 Cash and $8 Per Month NO INTEREST--NO TAXES In Blecks of 10 Loss We will give One Lot Free. Prices from $125 to $200 According to Location (. Better buy now as this opportunity may never come to you again, (. For further information Call or Phone 72 FLORIDA AND GEORGIA LAND (0.